• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Introduce Yourself: Answer Some Personal Questions

daddys1 said:
Hi Laura, have you had @daisy1 along with her long list of information which will be very helpful to you.

It is very hard at first to get your head around but been on here has been a great help things will start to fit into place and wont look bad at all. In fact if you the Low Carb High Fat diet which will really help you get your numbers down it's not that difficult either.
Neil
Click to expand...

Hi Laurie and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members which @daddys1 mentioned and I hope you will find it helpful. I hope other new members on this thread will like reading this too. I suggest you open your own thread if you have anything particular to ask or discuss, that way it won't get submerged on here by many other posts.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 100,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Hi, my name is Sandy, live in North Cumbria, been married to a great guy for 28 years and was diagnosed with T2 last week.

Still trying to get my head round it as I was at the doctors for something completely different! (A pre-op appointment) Hoping to find answers to questions on here.
 
sandy.b said:
Hi, my name is Sandy, live in North Cumbria, been married to a great guy for 28 years and was diagnosed with T2 last week.

Still trying to get my head round it as I was at the doctors for something completely different! (A pre-op appointment) Hoping to find answers to questions on here.
Click to expand...

Welcome Sandy
 
Hi i'm new to the forum. Not sure how to start my own question / piece?

My name's Gemma, i'm 28. i've recently started enjoying life more after depression and anxiety brought on by bullying in the workplace (due to being diabetic) Worked at Sainsbury's who did nothing to help, and now wont allow me to speak to anyone about the way i was treated.

I'm from the east midlands area. i don't currently drive. i have a teddy bear hamster called Archie. He's two so getting quite old.

I'm a home carer for my mum who has rheumatoid arthritis. i'm studying from home for some science and maths igcses. hope to take A levels and then apply to uni.

i joined the site because when i search online for anything to do with diabetes, i am usually taken to this site.

Gem
 
Hi there. Diagnosed two months ago. Still coming to grips with all the information. Will probably be asking a lot of daft questions but it's great to speak with those who really understand.
 
Hi! This is one of my first posts... Good way to say hello I guess?! Had T1 for 20 years as a result of a partial pancreatectomy, recently switched from multiple shots to insulin pump (October '14)

- What is your name? Shiplo
- How old are you? 33
- Are you male or female? M
- Which country are you from? UK
- Which city/area do you live in? NE
- Microsoft or Apple? Apple
- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play? Badminton
- Do you get angry easily? Only through lack of sleep
- List your five favourite musicians/bands. Too difficult!
- What would you say your favourite music genre is? Soul/Motown
- Ever gone camping? Yup
- Ever been in love? Yup
- Favourite city? Bangkok
- List your five favourite TV programmes.
- List your five favourite films.
- Are you wealthy? Yes - wife and 2 kids - they are my wealth as well as who spends it!
- Do you work? If so, as what? Engineer
- List the subjects you study/have studied. Engineering... Engineering... Mathematics
- What do you like most about yourself? ???? No idea :-/
- What do you like least about yourself? My sometimes short temper/impatience
 
Hi!! I'm 17, i live in mid-wales. I was diagnosed in december 2012, exactly a week before christmas (type 1). I love doing a lot of sport in my free time, currently studying full time in school, going to uni (hopefully) in september hoping to to either podiatry or nursing, would love to e a diabetic nurse!
Love to help other diabetics out if they have any problems so give us a shout! :)
 
Llinz04 said:
Hi!! I'm 17, i live in mid-wales. I was diagnosed in december 2012, exactly a week before christmas (type 1). I love doing a lot of sport in my free time, currently studying full time in school, going to uni (hopefully) in september hoping to to either podiatry or nursing, would love to e a diabetic nurse!
Love to help other diabetics out if they have any problems so give us a shout! :)
Click to expand...
Hi Llinz and welcome to the site. I've read your story above and let me say, I feel really sorry for you but Hey somebody has to live in Wales:D
Good for you doing all that studying and good luck becoming a Diabetic Nurse.doctor writing prescription.gif
 
Llinz04 said:
What's wrong with living in wales? haha!! Best place in the world actually!!
Click to expand...

Sorry but had to find out if you had a sense of humour. I personally love Wales, well the top end near Snowdon. Go camping there every year on a campsite in Llanrug, if you've ever heard of it. So what is your primary language out there, Welsh or English? :happy:
 
Hahaha oh yes very humorous person gotta be said! :) i thought so, i can sense sarcasm :p don't think i have actually! Where abouts is it?
 
He bear hi and big welcome to you , look forward to hearing more , you found the best forum on the web , ask as many q's as you need to and you will get answers:)))
 
Llinz04 said:
Hahaha oh yes very humorous person gotta be said! :) i thought so, i can sense sarcasm :p don't think i have actually! Where abouts is it?
Click to expand...
Between Caernarfon (spelt the Welsh way see):D and Llanberris....................wheres Llanberris, she says........................Between Caernarfon and Mount Snowdon.:D
map.png
 
Back
Top